Are you going to be pouring a concrete sidewalk, driveway, patio or apron slab soon? Do you know you get ONE CHANCE to get it right? Is your contractor going to botch the job and your new concrete spall or develop ugly random cracks? How do you know it's going to be done right? Are Read More »
Surfside City Condo Collapse - My Early Guess: Rusty Rebar Fractures and Weakened Concrete Columns This past weekend, my wife asked me all sorts of questions about the tragic sudden collapse of the 40-year-old condominium building near Miami, Florida. We’ve dated since high school and she knows I’ve got a geology degree instead of one Read More »
3D Printed House Cost - It's Not All Unicorns and Rainbows You may wonder if the new belle of the ball, 3D printed house, is really going to cost you less money to build than a normal house. Some publications fawn about new techniques like these and only share the glitter and gleam of the Read More »
Connecting Deck Posts and Piers - Use the Right Hardware QUESTION: Tim, you helped me years ago and now I’m back. I’m going to build a freestanding deck at my house during my vacation. After watching lots of online videos, I’m somewhat confused about how to connect the deck posts to the concrete piers. What Read More »
Clean Algae Off Siding - Liquid Soap and Oxygen Bleach Not a week goes by that I don’t get a question about cleaning this or that. These questions flow through the Ask Tim page on my www.AsktheBuilder.com website. As it turns out, I happen to know lots about cleaning things. I attribute much of this Read More »
Repair Stucco Wall - Why It Failed My wife and I are the head ushers at our church. Each Sunday when we arrive early, we walk up a ramp that allows those attending mass in a wheelchair an easy way into Sacred Heart Church in Laconia, NH. The ramp was built with two poured concrete Read More »
Does Treated Wood Rot? - You Bet it Does QUESTION: Tim, my next-door neighbor discovered that many of his outdoor deck floor joists are rotting. The rot is along the top where the decking attaches to them. It’s treated lumber rated for outdoor exposure. How can this be possible? I thought treated lumber was rot-proof Read More »
How Long Can Concrete Last - Over a Hundred Years! You may be holed up in your home as I am. Lately, I’ve been spending some time looking at the thousands of photographs I’ve shot over the past few years. When I travel and see something interesting about construction, building, or historic value, I always Read More »
Composite Deck Survey March 2021 Please complete this survey. You'll get two amazing FREE PDF documents if you enter your name and email address at the end of the survey. Loading…
Roof Replacement Costs 2021 (Installation, Replacement, Pricing) A study by the National Association of Realtors Research Group recently found that U.S. homeowners spend approximately $300 billion a year on home repairs and home renovations. That same study found that replacing a roof — whether it’s because the roof was leaking, very old, or simply aesthetically Read More »
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